Tuesday, April 30, 2013

College Days

      You never really know how short life really is until one suddenly disappears from your life. It can be shocking, terrifying, saddening. Then we put it into perspective and see it as glorious, but it still makes us cry. Like the new year, it causes us to determine to do better, do make a resolution of sorts. How can one word, one part of life, have such earthly fear, and yet such a glorious expectancy tied to it. It is one of the great mysteries of life. I say mystery of life, because once you are the one to go,  it all becomes clear. It is those left behind that are caused to ponder.
      Because I am now in that pondering mood, I must relate some old memories of my college days. In memory of a man who no longer has to ponder the mystery of life and death, because he has passed to the other side.
God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. -C. S. Lewis 
      It was a breezy afternoon, but thankfully it was warming up. On my way back to the dorms from across the street, I walked lazily up the sidewalk. All of the sudden I was surrounded by two young men, acting like they were on a secret mission. (something that was not abnormal for them) Troy and Steve came up right next to me holding a package and whispering. "Shhh.... Shhhh..." said Steve as he pushed the package into my hands. "Don't tell anyone Jackie-chan!" Troy said as the walked off.  A little confused, I took it and went to my room. I walked up the 4 flights of stairs!!! (YES! I am dead serious!) unlocked my room, and walked inside. I set the package down on my desk as I disposed of my backpack and whatever else I was lugging around. I was kinda excited. I love packages! I ripped into it and found lots of Easter grass. Below the Easter grass was a brand new floaty. I started to laugh. Ya, the boys had talked and talked about having a floaty tuesday and unfortunately I opened my big mouth and had said, "If you get me a floaty, I'll wear it." That was apparently a big mistake, because here in my hand was a monkey floaty!
     It was Tuesday morning. I had class at 8:30. The plans were made, everything was set for "FLOATY TUESDAY." I got dressed into my school clothes, grabbed my books and the floaty and started my decent down the stairs. I hopped in my car and made it to the other side of campus. I got out of the car but I was early. I was afraid my biggest fear was coming true, that I would walk into class wearing a floaty and the boys wouldn't show up with theirs! So, there I would be the only one in the class with a huge floaty around my waist. EMBARRASSING!! So I nervously walked up the stairs to my classes, uncertainly clutching my floaty. I walked in and I was early. No one was there. Well, I guess I'll go wait  in the car, and if I see them wearing their floaties then I will too! So that's what I did, except there was one problem. I have this strange phobia of being late, especially for classes. So, I waited until I could no longer wait anymore. I went back to the class room, without my floaty.  I kept a look out though I waited and waited. Finally, right before class I saw them coming. There was Troy strutting with his rubber ducky floaty in place. Stephen was wearing a turtle and when they saw me, well, I got an earful. But, there they were with floaties so I decided to be brave too. I grabbed my monkey and put it around my waist. And we entered the class, the three amigos and their floaties on what would be commonly known as "Floaty Tuesday."
      I didn't know him long but, that was one occurrence out of many that Stephen made me laugh. My college experience wasn't long, wasn't even the best part of my college days, really it was nothing like expected. But those times when Troy and Steve would look at each other and then me and burst out in a pitiful whale of "BUT, MAAAAAAAA.........", well, those were just good old college days. They had a knack for quoting commercials, and I somehow received the brunt of them. Steve, he was also talented at randomly rapping a song. I remember in line at the cafeteria one day, he rapped me a song that rhymed with "Jacquelyn." Although I think he changed it to "Jackie."
     I'll never forget the last time I ever saw Steve. I was leaving school to go back home. At that time I didn't know I wasn't going to be back. Right outside the dorm, I sad goodbye with a good old fashioned battle of "Rock, Paper, Scissors." If I remember right, I think I won. It's crazy to think now that I will never see him again. I will never hear, "But, Maaaaaaa", I will never  again win or lose in a rock, paper, scissor battle with him. There will never be another floaty tuesday with Steve.
     It's hard to believe something is so real, when your so far away. Like I said before, the mystery of death is left for those who are alive to ponder; and so I ponder. I ponder why Steve? I ask, Why now? I wonder, what really happened? But then, I see you dancing on the streets of gold. I see you praising your Lord face to face. Even though I can't fully comprehend it, still being here on earth, I know your exactly where you want to be.

In Memory of Stephen Reynolds 
 "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
 -1 Corinthians 13:12

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

This is KANSAS speaking, from her trailer in Florida..........

The Bizarre is always bound to happen to me. I think that is pretty safe to say. Just read my blog. I mean really, and TODAY, well it was no different. To be honest I had asked for it. I had thought to myself just the other day that nothing exciting had happen to me in a while. (Boy, that was brilliant of me. Like praying for patience!) It all started with a late night celebration in the office. Let me clarify something, by "late night" I mean the craziness began at 10:30pm. Ya, I'm a boring early bird. You keep me out past 10:30 and I become strange........OK, stranger. It starts out a little giddy, then it moves to uncontrollable laughter about EVERYTHING, to starting to get groggy, to I'm really not here and could totally fall asleep standing up. Needless to say, I was in the office 'til midnight when I finally made it home and into bed. Before I left I had arranged with Jamie for her to be at my house at 6:45 to leave for a conference the next morning. (we have to leave early to get coffee) So, I set my alarm, honestly thinking I wouldn't need it. (Dude I like have an internal clock. I always wake up before my alarm. Except today.) Yep, that's right. Not only did I need my alarm but I needed three of them, louder and possible someone to throw water on me. Thankful, my salvation came in the form of a phone call, not a bucket of water. As soon as I heard it, I knew! RATS!!!! I grab the phone and try to make clear words come out of my groggy brain. "Oh, dear. I'll be there in a second." I throw off the covers, toss my phone and my glasses into my nearby purse, throw it over my shoulder and head to the bathroom. In my stupor I looked in the mirror, "Great I accidentally slept in my staff shirt. Just throw on some jeans." I pulled on my jeans and threw on some deodorant, and some perfume(the bare necessities). I look on my counter and saw a box of tic tacs. "Perfect I don't have to brush my teeth!"   The last touch, bobby pins, and I headed for the door. Flip flops by the door will have to do and I walk outside. Suddenly I realized something was not right. Jamie was suppose to pick me up by my house, yet Hope was the one to call and no one is outside my door. OH NO!!! Jamie forgot too!!!! About 20min later I sat in the car headed to Orlando, with no coffee. :(
     We finally made it. We were only half awake but, enjoying each others company and slightly excited for what the day would bring. Little did I know that it was only the beginning. We walk through the doors and are handed a bag of goodies. There are people everywhere. Tables from camps and ministries, talking to people and handing out literature. But my mind was on one thing, and one thing alone. COFFEE! Finally, I noticed someone with a cup, and then another and another. Then, there it was a beautiful sight! A coffee shop! YA!! I go and get in line. People behind me and people in front of me. Jamie asked me to give her half of the flyers I was holding and in my attempt to do so, One, just one went flying under the rope to the other side of the line. I plunged for it! finally, when it was in my grasp I went back under the rope and stood up, and thats when disaster hit. In the blink of an eye, my flip-flop snapped! It wasn't the the "Ops it came out and I can push it back thru the hole and keep walking" kind of snap, no it couldn't be that simple. It snapped completely, there was no way to even try and walk with it. So, I did what anyone would do in my situation. When ever your in a totally embarrassing situation and feel like crying, you LAUGH! (It helped that I was completely out of it with lack of sleep.) So, I discretely put my broken flip flop in my purse, as Jamie and I cracked up laughing. There I stood in the middle of the coffee line, with one flip-flop on and another off. Of course, this would happen to me! I hobbled up to the register and ordered my coffee. At least I get coffee!! I stood beside Jamie and waited for the coffee to come out.
     To be honest it felt good to take off my shoe. I love going barefoot. I always have. My mother used to constantly reprimand me for running outside barefoot. My feet used to be so tough I could run across gravel! Even today, you can more than likely find me sitting in the office my shoes sitting to the side of my desk. But, to stand and walk around in a conference with hundreds of people, barefoot, when you are suppose to wear shoes. Now, thats another story! So, I pulled out my phone as we waited and came up with a plan. There must be a Walgreens or something around here!! Good, found one. Six Minutes away! I looked up as I heard, "Grande, Carmel Machiato" I grabbed the coffee form the lady's hand and we headed back out the door. As, we walked down the pathway I thought of ways to explain my half bare feet. I looked at Jamie and said, "You know, I could just say that I have been convicted by God to take off my shoes on Holy ground. I mean we are at a church." As I was rattling on about my predicament and the many interesting solutions, several guys passed us by. At just that moment of course, I ended my sentence with a sarcastic "Hello" To which one gentleman looked back and replied "HI!" Ops, I wasn't talking to him! This made me laugh even harder. We finally reached our vehicle, and started to drive. I was settling in, looking at the directions when we suddenly went over a bump in the road. Well, there went some of my coffee, right onto my leg. OUCH! All well, it will match my bare foot.
     Minutes down the road we made it to a Walgreens. As we are pulling into the parking lot, a car decided s to pull out in front of us. NOw, typically I am not a honker, but today I was in a silly mood, I reached over and began to honk at the car. IT was a good think I did because in the next few seconds it was obvious that he didn't see us!! WE came THIS close to getting mutilated by the other car! (I might be exaggerating a little bit). After a sigh of relief, we park. I open the door and then it hits me. I HAVE TO WALK IN WITH ONLY ONE SHOE!!!! Ughh. Well, you have to do what you have to do! SO I bravely stepped out of the car into the dirty parking lot and strutted through the doors. Trying to avoid any personal contact with anyone, who might see my foot, I walked around the back of the aisle. We only got distracted once, it was Oz the great and powerful nail polish! Can you blame us!! But we eventually found the flip-flops and found a pair in my size. I went to the cash register hoping she couldn't see my feet over the counter. I grab the bag of my recently purchased shoes and head out the door. I hobble to the car, sit down. I throw my demolished shoes into the back as Jamie pulls out of the parking lot. I look up as she cries in frustration about not being able to make a U-Turn. "OH, I'm going to do it anyway." She said and that's when I yelled out "NO!! You want to get pulled over?" She reluctantly obeyed my sever warning and went up to the next turn. At that moment she saw the cop that was just waiting to pull someone over. "Oh my goodness. How did you know?" she exclaimed. UHHHH.....with the way this day had been going? Seriously, it was the day to get pulled over. A laid my head back against the seat hoping the rest of the day would be more normal.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Adventure of Life

     You've heard the saying, "that's life" or "sounds like life." Life is a very interesting thing. We take it for granted. We wish it would fly away and when it begins to fly we try our hardest to pull back to the ground. It's mundane, it's crazy. We are joyful when it begins, we cry when it ends and somewhere in the middle we just want to pull out our hair. But, that's LIFE. I think the biggest problem with life is our perspective. I think we all have a little Belle in us, from Beauty in the Beast. We want Adventure in the great wide somewhere, but we feel stuck and agitated by what surrounds us. But, just like Belle, the biggest adventure is usually right in our backyard.
     A while ago I learned to laugh in the face of life. (Probably because if I didn't I would cry....but you didn't hear me say that.) I remember when I was younger my parents made me memorize the passage in Matthew where it says not to store treasures up on earth because they rust and get destroyed. I remember my mom reitterating that things break and get ruined. Boy, is that ever true. Trust me I know. I have three younger brothers and two little sisters, who I am positive, at times think: "whatever is yours, is mine!" But I can't really complain because growing up I was the worst, and my mother will attest. I messed up everything I touched! I was a living, breathing tornado! In the name of creativity. If I saw a pen and a piece of paper (any form of paper) it turned into a drawing pad. I have ruined many a priceless note, or grocery list with my doodles.
     The worst story I can remember is when I was around 11. (Old enough to know better right?) I was experimenting, as usually, in my new room. (With new carpet I might add.) I had a smoke bomb and decided it would be a great idea to see what was inside! (Not a good idea!!!) so grabbed a cup and tore the thing open. To honest I don't remember how. I must have just torn it. But however I did it I got it open. Have you ever seen the inside of a smoke bomb? Its like powdery; and this one was yellow, so yellowish powder. So, in my great creative mind (haha) I decided it would be great to make something out of this! Maybe paint or something. I am positive that I had no idea what I was making at the time.       But I put some water in my cup, added the powder and started stirring. (I am still in my bedroom!!) to make a long excruciating day short, I spilled, stained and ruined new carpet and got in BIG trouble. Ya, that was a typical day in the life of young Jp. My mother is one patient woman! If you go Into my room today you will see a big yellow spot on the middle of the floor. (It's still there haunting me) I wish my mom could have laughed at that.

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. -Joseph Campbell 

It's hard not be distracted by the things that don't go the way we planned. It's easy to get upset and irritated. But then again what's the point of crying over spilled milk. Like my bridesmaid dress. *sigh* That one I did want to cry over. A beautiful dress. It was modest and adorable and I loved it! A rare thing in today's world. Sad, that all it took to rip it from my closet was an accidental dyer cycle. Yep, I threw in the dryer by mistake and now my childhood baby doll could wear it. (I might be exaggerating a little. But not much.) That was a sad day. But if I let days like that depress me I would be depressed all the time! I guess what I am trying to say is see them as adventures, a chance to change, to learn. Maybe they will end up being a good story you can one day laugh at. Like my gas station story, or my river story, or the many, multiple car stories.......don't even ask right now. Whether its being late for a flight, or getting a little lost on a dirt road, God can use anything to lead you where he needs you for that moment. There may be a person you need to encourage, or maybe you need to learn a hard lesson, or maybe he just wanted you away from everything you know so he could have you all to himself. Whatever it is, it's a great adventure. One that has a purpose and an ending, a good one. Because that is who God is.

Friday, April 5, 2013

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

     Rain. I do l love it. I love the smell in the air right before it comes and right after it leaves. I love the sound it makes as it patters on the roof and against the window. Not to mention I love umbrellas, especially yellow ones. Did you ever watch "Sarah Plain and Tall"? The second one, where there has been a horrible drought in Kansas? They go to Main to stay a while and the first time it rains, the first thing they do is run into the yard and spin and dance and play. They were so excited! Over RAIN! But hey, can you blame them. That is how I feel every time I see rain. I loved rain ever since I was little. I have some great memories in the rain.
     I remember when I was little, after it rained, my dad would take me into the back yard and dig for worms. When there was no rain of course we made rain! It's called a sprinkler. We would then take our prized worms and go fishing. If you didn't know, the best time to catch worms is right after a good rain. I can remember going around the block after or during a rainstorm, following the curb and finding huge worms! Ya, it really worked!! Did you ever ride your bike and try and make the biggest SPLASH right after a rainstorm? Come, on. I know I'm not the only one. Then there is the classic water fight in a rainstorm. In Mississippi no less. Ya that was a good day. But it doesn't beat puddles. Nope, puddles trump water fights.
     The best puddles were near my Grandma and Grandpa's house. You see they lived by a nursery. No, not a nursery where little kids go to be watched. A nursery where they grow trees. They had HUGE trees there and after the trees were sold, they had HUGE HOLES! When the rain came, the holes were full of water. Yep, my brothers, and I, my cousins Kyle and Kody, and our friend Aaron Wilson and I think Christian...(I can't remember his last name) all ran as fast as we
could, took a huge leap and landed up to our chest in muddy water!! The best day of my life! Well, one of them anyways. When I got a little older I became a little more refined...... instead of muddy puddles it was a full fledged mud war. It's safe to say I had an exciting childhood. Oh, but it doesn't end there. You see as I got older it just got worse. It was the 4th of July in Grenola, KS. and nothing could stop the floodgates that came pouring down. It didn't stop us from having our celebration though. We grilled those burgers in the rain. We tried to stay dry, and finally it let up just in time for the huge firework show. But, that really has nothing to do with the story, I mean besides the fact that it rained. You see, it rained so hard that the Little Caney River which is usually like a creek, was filled and flowing at a pretty good rate.
     The same weekend, I was hosting a "Girls Retreat" out at the Land. My trusty friend Erika and I had gone ahead to prepare. (Basically an excuse to just chill, and have fun at the farm.) Since it was hot and we had time to spare we decided to throw on our swim suites, grab our mud boots, and life jackets and head to the river. We wadded into the river, sat down and let the water float us on our backs down the river. It was a lot of fun. Well, the floating was a lot of fun. We made it to a bridge we knew, hopped out and had to walk all the way back. (The un-fun part) So we decided to be smart about it! (Which was our first mistake) We would take two four wheelers and drive to the swimming hole. (About 2 miles down the road. which should have been our first red flag) We would leave one four wheeler, hiding the key of course. (BRILLIANT) we would then drive back, and float down the river to the second four wheeler. that way we wouldn't have to walk!! Oh, if only it was as simple as I thought it would be.
     Our first part of the journey was great. We talked and laughed and floated. We even passed a cow that was in the river! Quite exciting. We floated, and floated, and floated........ eventually we started to get worried. I mean, we had been floating a long time. We have got to be getting close we thought!! suddenly the river began to change and Erika, who was ahead a little, yelled back to get out of the water. So we did. The water began to get to rough so we thought we would just walk beside it a while. We finally came upon a dirt road and realized we were only halfway there!! this is when panic began to set in. Our moms will be out here soon and not know where we are! They are going to freak! Well, in our logical minds, we decided that following the river would take longer because it bends and curves so we would walk the road to our four-wheeler. So off we went.
     There we were walking down a dirt road. Two girls in swimsuits, mud boots (filled with water), and life jackets. Not to mention we had to get out on the most active road in Grenola......well, active for Grenola. Several trucks passed us. It was kinda embarrassing. Finally one passed and stopped. I wasn't sure I should be glad our scared. I decided to be glad, because I was sick of walking. Inside there was an older gentleman driving with what looked like to be his grandson. They asked if we needed a ride and I said yes! so we hopped in the bed of the truck as I asked him to drop us off at the pass. Which everyone knew. When we arrived we said thanks, hopped out and headed down to the river. Of course,  we were on the opposite side than the four-wheeler. So we had to ford the raging river. Not exaggerating that much!! *Sigh of relief* We made it!! All we had to do was drive home.
     We hopped on, and started it up. We started driving down the road, but as we were half way there......Budump. Budump. Budump. GREAT! The four-wheeler died!!  I hop off and mess with some stuff and tried it again. It started. Oh good!! We keep driving. Then it happened again!! Budump. Budump. Budump. This time it wouldn't start again. Fine, we aren't far off. I'll run, get the third four-wheeler and the chain and be back shortly. Before I could start running, help came. In the form of another pickup truck and another old man. He nicely dropped us off at the Davis' Farm, as it is known around there. Ok, time is running out so lets get this done.
      We run into the garage and find the last four-wheeler hooked up to the boat. Well, we are awesome and super strong! LOL We managed (with a lot of grunts) to remove the boat from the four-wheeler. We grabbed a chain and went to rescue the broken four-wheeler. After that it was down to the river to get the last four-wheeler. We made it back to the house, showered and started dinner, just as our mothers came up the drive. Erika and I looked at each other. Yep, this would have to stay a secret for a while. Speaking of which, my mom is going to kill me when she reads this........... If it helps mom, Hunter and Preston chewed me out afterwards.